Freedom song

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This is a deeply felt insider's account of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), in which the authorwhite and a woman in her early 20sheld a key communications post at the height of the civil rights movement. While overlong, her book conveys the passionate commitment to social justice that drew her to SNCC and the all-encompassing role that the radical group played in her own life and that of other young college graduates. Tracing SNCC's work (from direct action to voter registration to political organizing) in the Deep South from 1962 to 1965, King brings to life the daily realities of civil rights activism while reflecting on self-discoveries that led her to question the status of women in the movement. There are sharp observations on SNCC figures (Julian Bond, Robert Moses, etc.), on the group's use of news media to gain credibility and on the factors that led to splits and confusion among its staff. The SNCC's main contribution to civil rightspolitical organizinghas yet to be recognized by historians, asserts King. (July 13)

Library Journal

The author was a staff member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the 1960s. SNCC, which was based on both a decentralized organization and direct nonviolent confrontation with Southern racism, provided the shock troops for the civil rights movement. In this rambling, ultimately moving memoir, King provides an intensely personal look at her years as an activist. Especially poignant is King's wrenching description of the break-up of SNCC, when a black power faction rejected white participation. Although confusing in places, this memoir is an important addition to black studies collections. Anthony O. Edmonds, History Dept., Ball State Univ., Muncie, Ind.